Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Montauban
Founded in 1144 by the Count of Toulouse, Montauban, in the Tarn-et-Garonne, was one of the first bastides in France, built on a geometric plan around the Place Nationale, a large square surrounded by brick arcades where the market is still held.
A Protestant stronghold in the 16th century, the town has kept a consistent pink-brick architecture, typical of this part of the south-west, seen notably on the 14th-century Pont Vieux spanning the Tarn opposite the former bishop's palace. The palace now houses the Ingres-Bourdelle museum, devoted to the town's two most famous sons, the painter Ingres and the sculptor Bourdelle. The prefecture and most populous town of the département, Montauban has preserved a coherent historic centre, one of the best-preserved bastides in the region.
